This invention relates to wheel adjustment/alignment apparatus and methods for vehicles, and, more particularly, relates to apparatus and methods for adjusting the control arm/wheel spindle relationship at an upper or lower ball joint connection to produce changes in the camber, caster or camber/caster combination angle of a vehicle wheel.
Most vehicles consist of a tire/wheel mounted to a spindle which is attached to the vehicle through upper and lower control arms with the main connection being through ball joints mounted to the control arms. Some vehicles, however, are manufactured without provision for adjusting camber angle in the wheels. For example, some vehicles utilize an xe2x80x98Axe2x80x99 shaped upper control arm with xe2x80x98silent-blocxe2x80x99 type pivot isolators pressed into the inner pivot locations of the arm. The inner control arm in some such cases has a xe2x80x98uxe2x80x99 shaped bracket welded into it, with cross-holes in the inner bracket and inner control arm for locating the mounting bolts that engage and clamp the xe2x80x98silent-blocxe2x80x99 pivot isolators. This arrangement locates the inner pivots of the upper control arm in a fixed position with no means of adjustment.
The camber and caster angles of the tire/wheel (relative to the vehicle frame) directly effect vehicle handling and tire wear and is therefore of great importance. Camber angle is typically specified by the factory at a specific vehicle ride height (the distance from the ground to some point in the vehicle suspension corresponding to the vehicle frame center of gravity). The camber angle established between the plane of the tire and wheel and the vertical plane through the vehicle frame is directly impacted by any changes in the suspension components. Such changes can occur through damage to the components or through modification, intentional or unintentional, to the vehicle ride height. Thus, vehicles with raised or lowered ride height or damaged suspension links will typically not maintain proper camber angle and require means for readjusting the camber angle to the original specifications if handling and tire longevity are not to be sacrificed. Moreover, it may become desirable to correct a mis-aligned vehicle with other than strictly camber corrections.
One current means for adjusting camber angle consists of changing the relative position of the control arm to the vehicle at the body mounting points. This allows the control arm, and thus the ball joint position, to be moved laterally with respect to the vehicle, thereby changing the camber angle of the spindle and the tire/wheel. This method will not work if the vehicle""s control arm mounting scheme prevents replacing the fixed control arm body mounts with an adjustable mounting apparatus.
Another current means for adjusting camber angle provides for replacement of the upper or lower ball joint with an offset ball joint that, when rotated, allows changes of the position of the spindle mounting point around an offset arc. While this enables the camber angle to be modified, it at the same time modifies the caster angle, sometimes undesirably, due to its fixed radial offset arc.
In most vehicles, there is sufficient room for the suspension to translate up and down, as road conditions require, without contacting any parts of the vehicle body in the wheel well. However, when a vehicle""s ride height has been modified lower there is less room for suspension travel. To allow for necessary corrections to camber angle in such cases, adjustable replacement devices must not require excessive room or unduly raise the control arm relative to the wheel thereby reducing the amount of vertical clearance in the wheel well and thus further limit the ability for the suspension to translate without contacting the vehicle body in the wheel well. A means of providing significant camber angle adjustment with minimal vertical height addition would thus be desirable. Further improvements could therefore be utilized.
This invention provides apparatus for selective positioning of a vehicle ball joint relative to a control arm to provide adjustability of wheel camber, wheel caster, and/or a combination of wheel camber and caster. The apparatus is simple to install and adjust, requires no modification of other suspension components, provides for adjustment of wheel camber independent of caster adjustment, and utilizes a minimal amount of space.
The apparatus includes a module configured to secure an end of the ball joint. A threaded bore and an orientation guide are defined at one surface of the module. An insert is securable at the control arm and has a mating orientation guide structure at one surface thereof engageable with the orientation guide of the module. A threaded stud is mounted through the slot of the insert and engages the threaded bore of the module, the stud movable linearly in the insert slot.
A ball joint is retained at a cavity through one surface of a body of the module and adjacent to the threaded bore. A cover secures the ball joint at the cavity, one surface of the body and the cover defining the orientation guide. The ball joint is affixable at an end protruding from the body to the vehicle""s wheel spindle.
The mating orientation guide structure of the insert is preferable protruding guide pins, and the orientation guide of the module preferably mating slots. The insert is held at the control arm with a selected alignment of the slot relative to the control arm. The ball joint is fit into the cavity of the body of the module with the cover secured thereover at the body, the guide slots of the body/cover of the module and the protruding guides of the insert being aligned. The stud is located at a selected location linearly in the elongated slot of the insert before being tightened in the threaded bore.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide apparatus for selective positioning of a vehicle ball joint relative to a control arm to provide adjustability of wheel camber, wheel caster, and/or a combination of wheel camber and caster.
It is another object of this invention to provide an apparatus for selective vehicle wheel angle positioning that is simple to install and adjust on a vehicle, requires no modification of other suspension components, provides for adjustment of wheel camber independent of caster adjustment, and utilizes a minimal amount of space.
It is still another object of this invention to provide an apparatus for selective positioning of a vehicle ball joint securable between a control arm and a wheel mounting, the apparatus including a module configured to secure an end of the ball joint and including a threaded bore thereat and an orientation guide at one surface thereof, an insert securable at the control arm and having a mating orientation guide structure at one surface thereof engageable at the orientation guide of the module for rotationally stabilizing the module thereat, the insert having a slot therethrough, and a threaded stud mountable through the slot of the insert and engageable by the threaded bore of the module, the stud movable linearly at the slot of the insert.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide an apparatus mountable at a vehicle control arm opening and at a spindle to provide selectable camber correction of a vehicle wheel that includes an insert having a slot, the insert extendible through the control arm opening and having an orientation guide structure at one surface thereof, a ball joint retaining module including a body and a cover, one surface of the body and the cover defining an orientation guide receivable at the orientation guide structure of the insert, the body having a cavity therein through the one surface that is secured by the cover, a ball joint affixable at one end to the spindle and at another end in the cavity in the body of the module, and a stud engageable at a selected position through the slot of the insert with the ball joint retaining module.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide an apparatus providing camber angle adjustability of a vehicle wheel that includes an insert having protruding guides and an elongated slot therethrough, a ball joint module including a ball joint, a body with a threaded bore adjacent to a cavity, and a cover, at least the cover having guide slots thereat, and a bolt engageable through the slot of the insert and at the threaded bore of the body of the module, wherein the insert is held at a vehicle suspension control arm member with a selected alignment of the slot relative to the control arm member, the ball joint is fit into the cavity of the body of the module with the cover secured thereover at the body, the guide slots of the cover of the module and the protruding guides of the insert are aligned, and the bolt is located at a selected location linearly in the elongated slot of the insert before being tightened in the threaded bore.
With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent to one skilled in the art as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described, and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the herein disclosed invention are meant to be included as come within the scope of the claims.